DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 13-32 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 13-16, 19-26, and 29-32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsai et al (US 2022/0,086,780; hereinafter Tsai) in view of 3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 Meeting #111, ZTE Corporation, Sanechips, “Consideration on System Information and Cell (Re)selection in NTN”, 17th – 28th August 2020; hereinafter 3GPP) further in view of Li et al (US 2023/0,269,686; hereinafter Li).
Regarding claim 13 and 23, Tsai disclose a wireless transmit/receive unit (WRTU) and method performed by a WTRU (user equipment including but not limited to e.g. mobile station, a user communication radio terminal, a tablet, a wearable device, a sensor, a vehicle, or a PDA; para. [0128]) configured with timing advance (TA) parameters specific to non-terrestrial network (NTN) cell types (UE-specific timing advance or pre-compensation parameters specific to a non-terrestrial network (NTN) in order to compensate for the propagation delays in the NTN; ¶ [0007]), the method comprising:
identifying one or more cells via a cell identification search (the UE identifies one or more target cells, including non-terrestrial network (NTN) cells and terrestrial network (TN) cells, when the UE is moving to another cell or base station based on RRC synchronous reconfiguration request, e.g. during handover, the UE leaves a source cell and searches for another cell, e.g., a target cell that may be a TN cell or NTN cell, to camp on, the UE may trigger a report of UE-specific TA information, paras. [0197]), [0226], [0224]-[0239]);
determining TA reporting configuration information for the NTN cell based on a cell type of the NTN cell and according to the TA parameters (a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) refers to a network, or segments of a network, that uses a spaceborne vehicle for data transmission, for example, using one or more NTN type of cell, e.g. LEO satellites and one or more GEO satellites. paras. [0138], [0142], table 1, [0154], [0224]-[0239]); and
sending, to the NTN cell, a TA report according to the TA reporting configuration information (the UE-specific timing advance (TA) report is transmitted via a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) included in an uplink (UL) message of the RA procedure based the derived UE-specific TA information; paras. [0011], [0013]-[0014]).
Tsai do not explicitly disclose determining that one of the one or more cells comprises a NTN cell. In the same field of endeavor, 3GPP disclose determining that one of the one or more cells comprises a NTN cell determining that one of the one or more cells comprises a NTN cell (section 2.2, the UE determine or identify the network types of the one or more cells, e.g. NTN vs TN cells, GEO vs non-GEO cells/LEO cells by getting to know the network type during cell search and can perform cell selection and/or cell reselection). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to do so in order to identify the network types of the different types of cells, NTN or TN, and whether the UE can support certain NTN cells. Tsai and 3GPP do not disclose the TA reporting configuration information comprises an uplink (UL) grant or resource allocation for a report, a time of a report transmission, a threshold associated with the report transmission, or a frequency of TA report or position reporting. In the same field of endeavor, Li disclose the TA reporting configuration information comprises an uplink (UL) grant or resource allocation for a report, a time of a report transmission, a threshold associated with the report transmission, or a frequency of TA report or position reporting
(¶ [0236]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to do so in order for the UE to report the uplink timing advance based on an uplink grant configuration information when the UE is indicated to be configured or allowed to report the UL TA information in an uplink message (Li; ¶ [0236]).
Regarding claim 14 and 24, Tsai, 3GPP, and Li disclose the method and WTRU of claim 13 and 23 respectively, wherein the TA parameters comprise WTRU-specific position parameters (UE-specific position parameters may be acquired by a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver capabilities of the UE for identifying the UE's known location and satellite ephemeris; Tsai, paras. [0148], [0165], [0168), WTRU-specific TA reporting parameters (UE-specific TA reporting information, e.g. pre-compensation parameter; Tsai, paras. [0015], [0139], [0186]), cell-specific TA compensation parameters, or a combination thereof.
Regarding claim 15 and 25, Tsai, 3GPP, and Li disclose the method and WTRU of claim 13 and 23 respectively, wherein the WTRU is preconfigured with the TA parameters (the UE-specific global navigation satellite system (GNSS) position parameter or TA pre-compensation parameter is preconfigured at the WTRU by deriving UE specific TA information based on GNSS information generated at the UE; Tsai, paras. [0015], [0139]).
Regarding claim 16 and 26, Tsai, 3GPP, and Li disclose the method and WTRU of claim 13 and 23 respectively, wherein determining the TA reporting configuration information for the NTN cell is further based on ephemeris data of the NTN cell (a UE-specific TA for an NTN capable UE may be acquired by the UE based on its last acquisition of the ephemeris data; Tsai, paras. [0148], [0186]).
Regarding claim 19 and 29, Tsai, 3GPP, and Li disclose the method and WTRU of claim 13 and 23 respectively, wherein determining the one of the one or more cells comprises a NTN cell further comprises: receiving system information for the NTN cell (receiving system information (SI) data from the network (NW) for the NTN cell; paras. [0186], [0148]); determining timing relationship offset information for the NTN cell from the system information (the NTN-capable UEs may calculate the propagation delay from the UE to the satellite and a UE-specific propagation delay based on the system information (SI) and deriving an offset used for a time window based on at least the UE-specific timing advance information or a TA_offset used to calculate the TA; Tsai, paras. [0147], [0186]-[0187], [0192], [0224]-[0239]); and determining a cell type for the NTN cell based on the timing relationship offset information (determining to use a certain type of cell (e.g. low earth orbit (LEO) or geostationary earth orbit (GEO)) for the NTN cell based on the propagation delay offset; Tsai, paras. [0138], [0142], [0152]-[0154], Li, section 2.2).
Regarding claim 20 and 30, Tsai, 3GPP, and Li disclose the method and WTRU of claim 13 and 23 respectively, wherein the cell type comprises High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS), Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), or Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) (Tsai, paras. [0138], [0142], table 1, Li, section 2.2, observation 1).
Regarding claim 21 and 31, Tsai, 3GPP, and Li disclose the method and WTRU of claim 13 and 23 respectively, further comprising: receiving additional configuration information via Radio Resource Control (RRC) communications, Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) communications, or both, and wherein the TA reporting configuration is further according to the additional configuration information (the UE receives uplink grants and TA value via RRC signaling and TA command MAC CE and TA reporting configuration in the UE-specific TA reporting information is further determined according to the additional information via RRC signaling and TA command MAC CE; Tsai, paras. [0137], [0139], [0169]-[0172], [0209]).
Regarding claim 22 and 32, Tsai, 3GPP, and Li disclose the method and WTRU of claim 13 and 23 respectively, wherein the one or more cells further comprise at least one terrestrial network (TN) cell (Tsai, para. [0183], [0233]; 3GPP, section 2.2).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 17 and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsai et al (US 2022/0,086,780; hereinafter Tsai) in view of 3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 Meeting #111, ZTE Corporation, Sanechips, “Consideration on System Information and Cell (Re)selection in NTN”, 17th – 28th August 2020; hereinafter 3GPP) in view of Li et al (US 2023/0,269,686; hereinafter Li) further in view of Euler et al (WO 2021/066,696; hereinafter Euler).
Regarding claim 17 and 27, Tsai, 3GPP, and Li disclose the method and WTRU of claim 16 and 26 respectively, wherein they disclose receiving correction data for the ephemeris data (receiving updated real-time ephemeris or timestamp data periodically; Tsai, paras. [0148], [0186]; Li, section 2.4 provision of satellite ephemeris data). Tsai, 3GPP, and Li do not disclose the method and WRTU further comprising storing updated ephemeris data according to the correction data. In the same field of endeavor, Euler disclose storing updated ephemeris data according to the correction data (page 15, lines 4-32). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to do so in order to remove prior ephemeris data from the UE memory and save the most current real time ephemeris data for a more accurate value of the timing advance or the UE-specific TA that is reported to the network (Tsai; ¶ [0188]).
Claims 18 and 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsai et al (US 2022/0,086,780; hereinafter Tsai) in view of 3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 Meeting #111, ZTE Corporation, Sanechips, “Consideration on System Information and Cell (Re)selection in NTN”, 17th – 28th August 2020; hereinafter 3GPP) in view of Li et al (US 2023/0,269,686; hereinafter Li) further in view of Xu (US 2023/0,239,043).
Regarding claim 18 and 28, Tsai, 3GPP, and Li disclose the method and WTRU of claim 16 and 26 respectively, wherein the ephemeris data comprises square root of semi-major axis information, eccentricity information, inclination angle information, longitude of ascending node of orbit plane information, argument of perigee information, mean anomaly at reference time information, ephemeris reference time information (serving satellite ephemeris/timestamp; Tsai, ¶ [0254]), or a combination thereof. Tsai, 3GPP, and Li do not disclose the ephemeris data comprises square root of semi-major axis information, eccentricity information, inclination angle information, longitude of ascending node of orbit plane information, argument of perigee information, mean anomaly at reference time information, ephemeris reference time information, or a combination thereof. In the same field of endeavor, Xu disclose wherein the ephemeris data comprises square root of semi-major axis information, eccentricity information, inclination angle information, longitude of ascending node of orbit plane information, argument of perigee information, mean anomaly at reference time information, ephemeris reference time information, or a combination thereof (ephemeris data including square root of semi-major axis information, eccentricity information, inclination angle information, longitude of ascending node of orbit plane information, argument of perigee information, mean anomaly at reference time information, ephemeris reference time information, or a combination thereof; para. [0026], table 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to do so in order to provide the essential elements of ephemeris data that can determine the orbital plane of the satellite or the exact location of the satellite at a time (Xu; para. [0027]).
Conclusion
8. Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LANA N LE whose telephone number is (571) 272-7891. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00am-5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Wesley Kim, can be reached at (571) 272-7867. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LANA N LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2648
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